Synchrotron Radiation Losses Research Articles

3D hybrid fluid-particle jet simulations and the importance of synchrotron radiative losses

Relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei are known for their exceptional energy output, and imaging the synthetic synchrotron emission of numerical jet simulations is essential for a comparison with observed jet polarization emission. Through the use of 3D hybrid fluid-particle jet simulations (with the PLUTO code), we overcome some of the commonly made assumptions in relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (RMHD) simulations by using non-thermal particle attributes to account for the resulting synchrotron radiation. Polarized radiative transfer and ray-tracing (via the RADMC-3D code) highlight the differences in total intensity maps when (i) the jet is simulated purely with the RMHD approach, (ii) a jet tracer is considered in the RMHD approach, and (iii) a hybrid fluid-particle approach is used. The resulting emission maps were compared to the example of the radio galaxy Centaurus A. We applied the Lagrangian particle module implemented in the latest version of the PLUTO code. This new module contains a state-of-the-art algorithm for modeling diffusive shock acceleration and for accounting for radiative losses in RMHD jet simulations. The module implements the physical postulates missing in RMHD jet simulations by accounting for a cooled ambient medium and strengthening the central jet emission. We find a distinction between the innermost structure of the jet and the back-flowing material by mimicking the radio emission of the Seyfert II radio galaxy Centaurus\,A when considering an edge-brightened jet with an underlying purely toroidal magnetic field. We demonstrate the necessity of synchrotron cooling as well as the improvements gained when directly accounting for non-thermal synchrotron radiation via non-thermal particles.

Impact of fuel dilution on Lawson parameter by considering relativistic correction of radiation loss in toroidal magnetic configuration

In this paper, the ignition boundary and height of the saddle point as the lowest heating power on the way to ignition for D-3He toroidal magnetic configuration are derived. Fusion fuel cycle involving deuterium and helium-3, along with side reactions is considered. The effect of fuel dilution, incorporating synchrotron radiation and bremsstrahlung power loss with relativistic correction on ignition criteria, is investigated. The results were compared by considering the classical state of bremsstrahlung power. It is found that the height of the saddle point is increased with increasing the ratio of the proton particle density to the fuel deuteron density. The ignition regime shrinks and the minimum value of the Lawson parameter for the breakeven condition and ignition boundaries is reduced due to fuel dilution.

Electron tail suppression and effective collisionality due to synchrotron emission and absorption in mildly relativistic plasmas

Synchrotron radiation losses are a significant cause of concern for high-temperature aneutronic fusion reactions such as proton–Boron 11. The fact that radiation losses occur primarily in the high-energy tail, where the radiation itself has a substantial impact on the electron distribution, necessitates a self-consistent approach to modeling the diffusion and drag induced by synchrotron absorption and emission. Furthermore, an accurate model must account for the fact that the radiation emission spectrum is momentum-dependent, and the plasma opacity is frequency-dependent. Here, we present a simple Fokker–Planck operator, built on a newly solved-for blackbody synchrotron diffusion operator, which captures all relevant features of the synchrotron radiation. Focusing on magnetic mirror fusion plasmas, we show that significant suppression of the electron distribution occurs for relativistic values of the perpendicular electron momentum, which therefore emit much less radiation than predicted under the assumption of a Maxwell–Jüttner distribution.

The role of thermal noise on key parameters governing the improvement of tokamak fusion reactor efficiency using aneutronic fuel

This article examines the time evolution of energy, particle density, synchrotron radiation loss, plasma frequency, electron particle density, and the relationship between these parameters and blackbody radiation in the presence of thermal noise for the tokamak fusion reactor with aneutronic fuel. To achieve this goal, a suitable thermal noise term is added to the set of energy and particle balance equations. These nonlinear point kinetic coupled differential equations are simultaneously solved by numerical methods. The results of our calculations related to fusion power, particle density, fusion energy density, and quality factor in cases: (i) without and (ii) with noise show that in the conditions where thermal noise is considered, the mentioned parameters and quality factor are increased and in fact system performance improves. Also, our numerical results related to synchrotron radiation loss, plasma frequency, electron particle density, and energy intensity in cases (i) and (ii) show that in the conditions when blackbody radiation occurs (3.75 and 7.225 s respectively for (i) and (ii) cases), synchrotron radiation reaches the maximum values of and for (i) and (ii) cases, respectively.

Broad band waveguide to coaxial transition for HOM suppression in RF cavities for future synchrotron light sources

In the modern storage ring light sources, exploiting multi-bunch beams, the longitudinal and transverse coupled bunch instabilities are predominantly driven by higher order modes (HOM) of the accelerator RF cavities. In order to suppress the HOM to a harmless level, we propose using a modified broadband waveguide to coaxial line transitions placed on the cavity body, similar to those used for the DAΦNE collider RF cavities. Such a solution has a simple design that avoids the application of the ferrite materials under the ultra-high vacuum and dissipates the HOM power on the external loadings. Different from DAΦNE with a single cavity per ring, where the damping waveguides are placed laterally on the cavity body, we consider the possibility of allocating the waveguides vertically. Since the modern synchrotron light sources require using more RF cavities to compensate for the synchrotron radiation losses, such a solution helps to save the occupied space when placing the cavities in a row next to each other. This paper describes the design optimization process and discusses the obtained results concerning the effectiveness of the HOM suppression and minimization of the impact of the transitions on the fundamental mode parameters.

Constraints on Cosmic Ray Acceleration Capabilities of Black Holes in X-ray Binaries and Active Galactic Nuclei

Rotating black holes (BHs) are likely the largest energy reservoirs in the Universe as predicted by BH thermodynamics, while cosmic rays (CRs) are the most energetic among particles detected on Earth. Magnetic fields surrounding BHs combined with strong gravity effects, thanks to the spacetime symmetries, turn the BHs into powerful accelerators of charged particles. At the same time, in the age of multi-wavelength and multi-messenger astronomy, BHs and their environments have not yet been probed with CR messengers, despite being observed across most of the electromagnetic spectrum, and neutrino and gravitational waves. In this paper, we probe the acceleration capabilities of BHs in 8 galactic X-ray binaries and 25 local active galactic nuclei (AGNs) within 100 Mpc, based on the ultra-efficient regime of the magnetic Penrose process of a BH energy extraction combined with observational data. We find that the maximum energy of the galactic BHs can reach only up to the knee of the CR spectrum, including supermassive BH Sgr A* at the Galactic Center. On the other hand, for supermassive BHs in AGNs, we find that the mean energy of primary CRs is of the order of 1019 eV. It is therefore likely that local supermassive BHs give sufficient contribution to the ankle—a sharp change in the slope of the cosmic ray spectrum around 1018.6 eV energy. We also discuss the energy losses of primary CRs close to the acceleration zones. In the galactic BH cases, it is likely dominated by synchrotron radiation losses.

Construction of self-consistent longitudinal matches in multipass energy recovery linacs

Any proposal for an accelerator facility based upon a multipass energy recovery linac (ERL) must possess a self-consistent match in longitudinal phase space, not just transverse phase space. We therefore present a semianalytic method to determine self-consistent longitudinal matches in any multipass ERL. We apply this method in collider scenarios (embodying an energy spread minimizing match) and FEL scenarios (embodying a compressive match), and discuss the consequences of each. As an example of the utility of the method, we prove that the choice of common or separate recirculation transport determines the feasibility of longitudinal matches in cases where disruption, such as synchrotron radiation loss, exists. We show that any high energy multipass ERL collider based upon common recirculation transport will require special care to produce a self-consistent longitudinal match, but that one based upon separate transport is readily available. Furthermore we show that any high energy multipass ERL FEL driver based upon common recirculation transport requires a larger resultant rf beam load than the one based on separate transport, favoring the separate transport designs.

A Study of the Requirements of p-11B Fusion Reactor by Tokamak System Code

Most tokamak devices including ITER exploit the deuterium-tritium reaction due to its high reactivity, but the wall loading caused by the associated 14-MeV neutrons will limit the further development of fusion performance at high beta. To explore the p-11B fusion cycle, a tokamak system code is extended to incorporate the relativistic bremsstrahlung since the temperature of electrons approaches the electron rest energy. By choosing an optimum p-11B mix and ion temperature, some representative sets of parameters of the p-11B tokamak reactor, whose fusion gain exceeds 1, have been found under the thermal wall loading limit and beta limit when synchrotron radiation loss is neglected. However, the fusion gain greatly decreases when the effect of synchrotron radiation loss is considered. Helium ash also plays an important role in the fusion performance, and we have found that the helium confinement time must be below the energy confinement time to keep the helium concentration ratio in an acceptable range.

FCC-ee: the synthesis of a long history of e+e- circular colliders

The design of FCC-ee is relying on the accumulated experience of mathrm {e^{+}e^{-}} colliders that have been designed, constructed and operated in the past 40 years. FCC-ee will surpass the 26.7 km long Large Electron Positron collider LEP by a factor 4 in size. Like for LEP the large size is justified by the need to control the synchrotron radiation losses that for both machines reach a few percent per turn. To that end LEP had the first large super-conducting (SC) RF system with around 3.8 GV of accelerating voltage. LEP achieved for the first time very large beam-beam parameters of around 0.08, and it relied on transversely polarized beams to determine accurately the beam energy for the experiments. The DAvarPhi NE collider, together with PEP II and KEKB split the two beams into separate vacuum chambers to reach much higher Ampere-level beam currents. To overcome beam-beam lifetime and performance issues DAvarPhi NE used for the first time the Crab Waist concept for the interaction region (IR) optics. The B-factories, PEP-II and KEKB have verified the double-ring mathrm {e^{+}e^{-}} collider with multi-ampere stored currents for over 1000 bunches, small beta ^*, top-up injection, and achieved then-highest luminosity. KEKB has applied 22-mrad crossing angle at the IP with crab crossing. Both machines inherited accelerator techniques from their predecessors, PEP and TRISTAN, which was a small-scale LEP. Currently the next generation SuperKEKB collider is starting up. It has already achieved some milestones required for FCC-ee such as small beta ^* (0.8 mm) and virtual crab-waist scheme with a large Piwinski angle (>10).

Heat load in IR from synchrotron radiation and beam loss for CEPC double ring scheme

With the discovery of the Higgs boson at around 125 GeV, a circular Higgs factory design with high luminosity ([Formula: see text]) is becoming more popular in the accelerator world. The CEPC project in China is one of them. Machine Detector Interface (MDI) is the key research area in electron–positron colliders, especially in CEPC, since the synchrotron radiation (SR) photons can contribute to the heat load of the beam pipe and radiation dose may damage the components. And the heat load can cause the temperature rise in some part, and if the temperature rise is too high, the beryllium pipe in the interaction region will melt and the superconducting magnet may quench. Thus, the heat load distribution from synchrotron radiation and beam loss in the interaction region are analyzed carefully and results are given in this paper.

GMRT observations of the protostellar jet associated with IRAS 16547-4247

We report continuum GMRT observations aimed to explore the behavior of the jet associated with IRAS 16547-4247 at very low frequencies (325 MHz and 610 MHz). The obtained maps reveal an elongated morphology in the SE-NW direction. In addition, the 610 MHz map shows three knots associated to the elongated morphology that seems to correspond to the triple radio source identified as the jet seen at higher frequencies. However, at 325 MHz, although an elongated morphology is also observed, only two knots appear in the map. By comparing our knot positions at both frequencies with a precessing jet model used in a previous work, we find that the knots fall closely to the wiggling path and, hence, they likely represent shocks of the material of the precessing jet with the medium. Only the nature of the southernmost knot detected at 325 MHz remains unclear. Besides, we found that the whole emission of the lobes is non-thermal down to very low frequencies and that the possible associated emission mechanisms work differently in in both lobes, causing the discrepancies between observed frequencies. To explain these discrepancies we investigate mechanisms such as synchrotron radiative losses in a magnetic field of about 0.5 mG in the shocks and find this possibility unlikely to occur. Alternatively, we invoke interaction with an inhomogeneous medium as the most probable scenario.

The radio jets of SS 433 at millimetre wavelengths

Context.SS 433 is historically a well-known microquasar in the Galaxy that has been deeply studied during the four decades elapsed since its discovery. However, observations at very high radio frequencies with good angular resolution are still very scarce in the literature. The present paper tries to partially fill this gap using archival data of the source obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA).Aims.We aim to study the SS 433 jet properties at radio frequencies corresponding to millimetre wavelengths where the synchrotron emitting particles are expected to lose their energy much faster than at lower frequencies of centimetre wavelengths.Methods.We applied the methods of connected radio interferometry adapted to the ALMA spectral domain for data calibration and reduction. Afterwards, the resulting map was corrected for relativistic and geometric effects. While a detailed theoretical modelling was beyond our scope, we assessed the broad evolutive properties of the jet brightness profile in the context of a semi-analytic model.Results.A resolved view of the SS 433 radio core and jets is presented. In addition to spectral index and magnetic field measurements, we are able to estimate the age of the oldest visible ejecta still radiating significantly at millimetre wavelengths. By combining our findings with those of previous authors at lower frequencies, we confirm that the energy loss of the radiating electrons is dominated by adiabatic expansion instead of synchrotron radiative losses. In addition, we find suggestive evidence for the previously proposed period of slowed expansion within the first months of the ejecta flow, needed to simultaneously match the radiative lifetime observed in the centimetre domain. Our results argue for the need for future coordinated millimetre and centimetre interferometric observations with good time sampling throughout the SS 433 precessional cycle to better understand energetic processes in stellar relativistic jets.

Synchrotron radiation loss of a laser accelerator based on an inverse electron cyclotron resonance maser.

A laser accelerator based on an electron cyclotron resonance maser is described. Important losses that give rise to saturation length and saturation power are included in the analysis. The results are compared with results from an inverse free-electron laser accelerator.

Flaring of blazars from an analytical, time-dependent model for combined synchrotron and synchrotron self-Compton radiative losses of multiple ultrarelativistic electron populations

We present a fully analytical, time-dependent leptonic one-zone model that describes a simplified radiation process of multiple interacting ultrarelativistic electron populations and accounts for the flaring of GeV blazars. In this model, several mono-energetic, ultrarelativistic electron populations are successively and instantaneously injected into the emission region, that is, a magnetized plasmoid propagating along the blazar jet, and subjected to linear, time-independent synchrotron radiative losses, which are caused by a constant magnetic field, and nonlinear, time-dependent synchrotron self-Compton radiative losses in the Thomson limit. Considering a general (time-dependent) multiple-injection scenario is, from a physical point of view, more realistic than the usual (time-independent) single-injection scenario invoked in common blazar models, as blazar jets may extend over tens of kiloparsecs and thus most likely pick up several particle populations from intermediate clouds. We analytically compute the electron number density by solving a kinetic equation using Laplace transformations and the method of matched asymptotic expansions. Moreover, we explicitly calculate the optically thin synchrotron intensity, the synchrotron self-Compton intensity in the Thomson limit, as well as the associated total fluences. In order to mimic injections of finite duration times and radiative transport, we model flares by sequences of these instantaneous injections, suitably distributed over the entire emission region. Finally, we present a parameter study for the total synchrotron and synchrotron self-Compton fluence spectral energy distributions for a generic three-injection scenario, varying the magnetic field strength, the Doppler factor, and the initial electron energy of the first injection in realistic parameter domains, demonstrating that our model can reproduce the typical broadband behavior seen in observational data.

Effect of partially ionized impurities and radiation on the effective critical electric field for runaway generation

We derive a formula for the effective critical electric field for runaway generation and decay that accounts for the presence of partially ionized impurities in combination with synchrotron and bremsstrahlung radiation losses. We show that the effective critical field is drastically larger than the classical Connor–Hastie field, and even exceeds the value obtained by replacing the free electron density by the total electron density (including both free and bound electrons). Using a kinetic equation solver with an inductive electric field, we show that the runaway current decay after an impurity injection is expected to be linear in time and proportional to the effective critical electric field in highly inductive tokamak devices. This is relevant for the efficacy of mitigation strategies for runaway electrons since it reduces the required amount of injected impurities to achieve a certain current decay rate.

Observable Emission Features of Black Hole GRMHD Jets on Event Horizon Scales

Abstract The general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamical (GRMHD) formulation for black hole-powered jets naturally gives rise to a stagnation surface, where inflows and outflows along magnetic field lines that thread the black hole event horizon originate. We derive a conservative formulation for the transport of energetic electrons, which are initially injected at the stagnation surface and subsequently transported along flow streamlines. With this formulation the energy spectra evolution of the electrons along the flow in the presence of radiative and adiabatic cooling is determined. For flows regulated by synchrotron radiative losses and adiabatic cooling, the effective radio emission region is found to be finite, and geometrically it is more extended along the jet central axis. Moreover, the emission from regions adjacent to the stagnation surface is expected to be the most luminous as this is where the freshly injected energetic electrons are concentrated. An observable stagnation surface is thus a strong prediction of the GRMHD jet model with the prescribed non-thermal electron injection. Future millimeter/submillimeter (mm/sub-mm) very-long-baseline interferometric observations of supermassive black hole candidates, such as the one at the center of M87, can verify this GRMHD jet model and its associated non-thermal electron injection mechanism.

A study on combined effects of stochastic magnetic fluctuations and synchrotron radiation on the production of runaway electrons

The dynamics of relativistic runaway electrons are analyzed using the relativistic Fokker–Planck equation including deceleration due to the synchrotron radiation and radial diffusion loss caused by stochastic magnetic fluctuations (SMFs). SMFs are treated as friction force in (Martín-Solís et al 1999 Phys. Plasmas 6 3925). However, we think SMFs act as a ‘porter’ in configuration space, but do not directly affect the runaway electrons (REs) in momentum space. Both critical electric fields for sustainment of the existing REs and for avalanche onset are enhanced, and the modified avalanche growth rate is reduced by the combined effects of SMFs and synchrotron radiation as compared to the case with only synchrotron radiation (Aleynikov et al 2015 Phys. Rev. Lett. 114 155001).

On the measurement of the threshold electric field for runaway electron generation in the Frascati Tokamak Upgrade

Experiments have been carried out to evaluate the threshold electric field for runaway generation during the flat-top phase of ohmic discharges in the Frascati Tokamak Upgrade tokamak. An investigation of the conditions for runaway electron generation and suppression has been performed for a wide range of plasma parameter values. The measured threshold electric field is found to be significantly larger (∼2−5 times) than predicted by the relativistic collissional theory of runaway generation, ER=ne e3 lnΛ/4π ε02 me c2, and can be explained to a great extent by an increase of the critical electric field due to the effect of the electron synchrotron radiation losses. These findings are consistent with the results of an ITPA joint experiment to study the onset, growth, and decay of relativistic runaway electrons [Granetz et al., Phys. Plasmas 21, 072506 (2014)]. Confirmation of these results for disruptions with high electric field might imply significantly lower requirements on electron densities for suppression and prevention of runaway formation in ITER.

Design of beam optics for the future circular collider e+e− collider rings

A beam optics scheme has been designed for the Future Circular Collider-e+e- (FCC-ee). The main characteristics of the design are: beam energy 45 to 175 GeV, 100 km circumference with two interaction points (IPs) per ring, horizontal crossing angle of 30 mrad at the IP and the crab-waist scheme [1] with local chromaticity correction. The crab-waist scheme is implemented within the local chromaticity correction system without additional sextupoles, by reducing the strength of one of the two sextupoles for vertical chromatic correction at each side of the IP. So-called "tapering" of the magnets is applied, which scales all fields of the magnets according to the local beam energy to compensate for the effect of synchrotron radiation (SR) loss along the ring. An asymmetric layout near the interaction region reduces the critical energy of SR photons on the incoming side of the IP to values below 100 keV, while matching the geometry to the beam line of the FCC proton collider (FCC-hh) [2] as closely as possible. Sufficient transverse/longitudinal dynamic aperture (DA) has been obtained, including major dynamical effects, to assure an adequate beam lifetime in the presence of beamstrahlung and top-up injection. In particular, a momentum acceptance larger than +/-2% has been obtained, which is better than the momentum acceptance of typical collider rings by about a factor of 2. The effects of the detector solenoids including their compensation elements are taken into account as well as synchrotron radiation in all magnets. The optics presented in this paper is a step toward a full conceptual design for the collider. A number of issues have been identified for further study.

Runaway electron generation and control

We present an overview of FTU experiments on runaway electron (RE) generation and control carried out through a comprehensive set of real-time (RT) diagnostics/control systems and newly installed RE diagnostics. An RE imaging spectrometer system detects visible and infrared synchrotron radiation. A Cherenkov probe measures RE escaping the plasma. A gamma camera provides hard x-ray radial profiles from RE bremsstrahlung interactions in the plasma. Experiments on the onset and suppression of RE show that the threshold electric field for RE generation is larger than that expected according to a purely collisional theory, but consistent with an increase due to synchrotron radiation losses. This might imply a lower density to be targeted with massive gas injection for RE suppression in ITER. Experiments on active control of disruption-generated RE have been performed through feedback on poloidal coils by implementing an RT boundary-reconstruction algorithm evaluated on magnetic moments. The results indicate that the slow plasma current ramp-down and the simultaneous reduction of the reference plasma external radius are beneficial in dissipating the RE beam energy and population, leading to reduced RE interactions with plasma facing components. RE active control is therefore suggested as a possible alternative or complementary technique to massive gas injection.